Help me, I'm in love with the Princess!
by Rachel-Dark-Hokou
Summary: Cedric's cousin visits him unannounced, and said cousin eventually finds out about his crush on the Princess who is about to turn 18 in a few days. His cousin decides to help him with his little predicament. Focuses mostly on Cedric, he is 30 and Sofia is 17. T only to be safe. Cover art by Cawoli.
1. Chapter 1

**AHAHAHA so I decided to write another story. Oh I'm so horrible. But I don't think the ones reading this would be the same person reading my other stories. BUT IF YOU ARE DONT WORRY ILL FINISH THEM I PROMISE**

**Yah I got into the Sofia the First fandom. I really did like the show from the begining but, then I... started shipping older!Sofia with Cedric haha.**

**Ok enough about me. Cedric is 30 here and Sofia is 17. ENJOY (and if I get good responses, I'll finish the second chapter, it's already half way)**

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><p>It was only a few days until Princess Sofia's 18th birthday. Said princess was currently discussing the plans with Princess Amber and a few of her friends.<p>

As in for the Royal Sorcerer, he was standing behind a tall hedge near the parlor. One would look and suspect that he was spying on the princesses, which actually, was his intention deep in the back of his mind. But he was there because Princess Sofia requested he made fly cakes there, which he instantly agreed to.

Cedric wondered why he had to be the one to do it. The Princess could very well make it herself, as he was the one who taught her the spells to make it. _Maybe because she likes my company?_ Cedric thought. He slapped himself on the forehead, _why are you thinking those things, Cedric?!_

They have been growing close over the past years, and Cedric may have developed... _teeny tiny_ feelings for the cheerful princess. That is, that's what he dares to admit to himself.

"Hit yourself again, Dricky," a low feminine voices was heard. Cedric turned around to see a woman he knows all too well, "I thought I told you not to call me that years ago, cousin Rachel," he said in an annoyed tone.

Cousin Rachel was in fact, Cedric's cousin. She was as tall as he is, with straight long black hair with a few dyed white streaks on it. Her clothes were like Cedric's aside from the colors and robe. Hers was black and emerald and she wore a cloak instead of a robe, it had a hood and draped over her shoulders and onto the ground. From afar, one would consider them twins, despite the contrast of their skin tone.

"Whatcha doin here, beloved cousin?" Rachel said in a teasing tone, she always did like to tease him.

"Oh the P-Princess has requested fly cakes this afternoon," Cedric stuttered, to Rachel's surprise. He hardly ever stuttered when talking to her. _Something is up_, she thought.

She saw Cedric tense at her suspicious stare. She then looked over his shoulder to the princesses. The only one who was facing this way was the one in the soft purple dress. She then looked at Cedric again.

"What?" Cedric said in a nervous tone.

"Oh _nothing_," she smiled, pretending she doesn't know anything, "I'm just gonna let myself in your workshop, ta-ta!" She then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"it's time for the fly cakes, Cedric!" Princess Sofia said as she waved to him. Cedric turned around and nervously walked to the table. He waved his wand and made fly cakes out of the ingredients on the tray. After they were done he floated them to each of their plates.

"Thank you, Cedric. It looks like you made extra, why don't you take a few for yourself?" Sofia took a bite out of the cake, "mmm, delicious!"

Cedric blushed at her compliment, "I-uh, yes, I'll take a f-few," Cedric waved his wand and floated two of the fly cakes to follow him. He excuses himself before leaving and returned to his workshop.

Inside he saw Rachel floating about the room. She always liked to float around, and Cedric knew why.

She was the laziest sorceress he had ever met.

"Ooh! Fly cakes!" She took one without asking. Cedric saw this coming, that's why he brought two. "They're delicious, just like your mother used to make!" Rachel said after taking a bite.

Cedric took a bite himself, it was delicious. _Just like Sofia said_, he thought and smiled.

"Why are you smiling, Dricky?" Rachel smiled teasingly.

"Nothing!" He answered all too quickly.

"That doesn't sound like nothing to me," she floated closer with a teasing smile.

"Have you told the king you were visiting?" Cedric changed the subject, on his face was a light pink tint visible.

"Um... No," Rachel smiled sheepishly.

Cedric was relieved he managed to change the subject, "classic Rachel, showing up unannounced," he rolled his eyes and sat on his chair.

Suddenly the door flew open and Rachel vanished instantly. "Oh Ceedric!" He knew that voice all too well. Although her voice had grown lower over the years, she still had that innocent and cheerful tone to it.

"Hello, Sofia," he said flatly, "and it's Cedric." They have agreed to call each other without their title when they're alone since a few months ago. "How was your tea party?" He turned around and pretended to be busy.

"It was great! Especially the fly cakes!" She said cheerfully. Sofia then sat on the table right next to him, which made Cedric blush.

"Ah yes, um... Why did you come here?" Cedric nervously flipped a page of the book in front of him.

"My friends all went home and Amber decided to go to Princess Hildegard's place. The party discussion was left to a few suggestions, though... But I'm a bit tired of people discussing my birthday... Especially when they mention about..." The last part Sofia uttered was inaudible.

"About what?" Cedric asked absent mindedly as he twirled his wand in his hand.

Sofia bit her lip, "suitors..." She said quietly.

Cedric's eyes went wide and a "snap!" Was heard. He looked at his wand only to realize that he had broken it in half with his hands. Good thing it was his spare wand, not the family wand.

"Um, are you okay, Cedric?" Sofia asked, concerned.

"Ah um, yes. I'm fine," he laughed nervously trying to regain his composure.

"You have something on your..." Sofia trailed off as she wiped off a chocolate stain from his face with her finger. Cedric was as red as a tomato now. Sofia inspected it and licked it off.

"Well I better get going now, I have things to plan out," Sofia sighed as she got off the table, "Bye Ceedric!" She purposely said his name wrong.

"It's Cedric!" She heard as she closed his workshop door behind her.

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><p>"<em>Ooooooh<em> it looks like somebody has a _cru-ush_!" Rachel said teasingly as she reappeared behind Cedric.

The sorcerer jumped at his seat, "a what-? Crush-? Me-? No!" He denied, still red as ever.

"Oh come on. It's so obvious, Dricky," she reappeared infront of him, floating.

"Stop calling me that, it reminds me of my dark childhood with you," Cedric said half jokingly.

"Stop trying to change the subject," Rachel poked his forehead.

"I don't have a crush on Princess Sofia!" He defended, "besides, it's hardly appropriate... I'm the Royal Sorcerer, she's a Princess. And the age gap is just much too big" Cedric's voice began to fade.

"Well the first one I can agree a bit. But the age gap? Seriously? She's like what? 17 or 18? And you're only 30, Cedric, please," she scoffed, Cedric was about to say something when she interrupted, "that's only like 12-13 years, Dricky. My boyfriend is 20 years older than me," she smiled.

"How come I never knew?" Cedric raised an eyebrow.

"You've never actually seen him? And besides, he's a normal human, that's why he's not so... _Praised_ in the family," she cringed a little, "well I'm willing to help you be with her, Cedric. You're practically my brother," she smiled teasingly.

"Me your brother? Hardly pleasing that must be." He said in a bored tone.

"So...? How are you gonna get the sweet sparkly Princess?" She wasn't going to drop the topic was she? In truths Cedric _did_ appreciate her support deep, deep, deep down.

"I don't know, I can't," Cedric said hopelessly.

"Don't give up like that, Dricky!" He scowled at the nickname, "I know you can do it! There has to be a way!" She encouraged.

There was a moment of silent thinking.

"I think she likes you, though," Rachel said suddenly.

"What?!" Cedric began to blush again, "how would you know?!"

"_I_ used to be like that," and with that she disappeared somewhere, leaving Cedric still blushing in embarrassment.

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><p><strong>Ok so how did you like it? Review? It's ok you don't have to but I would love it if you would. I'm using proxy, sorry for any mistakes! this thing is a bit hard.<strong>

**By the way **

**HAPPY NEW YEAR :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**HI GUYS**

**I thank guest, Belco, RatillaFresa, ShadowenHunter, Soutiam, WafflesRtheBest, and apptrullyfan6 for the review, follow, and favorite! **

**I'm so happy that you like my story! So I decided to post a chapter today.**

**And I'm glad you like Rachel! Because she's well... based on... me. So I sincerely thank you! :)**

**OMG I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW **

**Also I just noticed that I forgot Wormwood. Don't worry I can fix it in the next chapter.. so yeah, he's not there. Cedric hasn't forgotten about him! He's just a bit **_**distracted**__**... ;)**_

**And there will be mentions of species of birds in this chapter, you can google them up to see what they look like. **

**not much fluff in this chapter... I'll make more in the next... I promise**

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><p>The next day the Royal Sorcerer had managed to persuade his cousin into speaking with the King about her visit. She was pulled to the throne room by an annoyed Cedric.<p>

Sofia saw the two coming in and gasp. _Cedric has a wife?!_ Was the first thought that came to mind, she scolded herself mentally for that. _No, they look quite alike, maybe she's his sister?  
><em>  
>Sofia had to admit that she has a huge crush on Cedric from the past few years. But she couldn't possibly tell him! He only sees her as a child anyway, right? So she decides to act oblivious to her own feelings.<p>

"Your majesties, I would l-like to introduce you to my..." Cedric looked at Rachel to see she was more interested in a plant there, he pulled her shoulder to make her face the king.

_Just say it!_ Sofia shouted in her head.

"...cousin," Cedric said boredly.

_Cousin!_ Sofia screamed in her head. Her face must have beamed.

"She'll be staying with me for awhile... I apologize she has come unannounced, as always," he muttered the last part.

"Well, it'll be great to have your cousin stay here," King Roland said with a smile.

"The name's Rachel, your majesty. Thank you, now if you excuse me, Cedric and I will go back to what we were doing," Rachel said nervously. She never liked talking to kings either, but she had to. She pushed him out the throne room.

"I see your no better at talking to kings than I am," Cedric said to her.

"It's because I hang out with _you_ too much," Rachel said.

"That's what you always say when we have a similar trait," he crossed his arms.

"Well it's true. I wasn't nervous at all before I hung out with you," Rachel teased.

"That was years ago-"

"Hey Cedric!" Sofia ran to them from behind, Cedric tensed immediately, "and um..." She wasn't sure what to call Rachel.

"Just call me Rachel, Princess," she smiled.

"I never knew you had a cousin, Cedric," Sofia said with a smile.

"Yes-uh, well... She's not exactly my cousin... My family tree is a bit complicated and.. well.. we're just _somehow_ related..." Cedric said nervously, "_unfortunately_," he said the last bit only for Rachel to hear.

Rachel rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Well I bet you're just as great as Cedric," Sofia said to Rachel. Who tried to cover up a giggle, her cousin was standing there blushing mad.

"Maybe I am," Rachel giggled, "so, Princess. I heard your birthday is in a few days..."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Cedric, I'm inviting you as a guest for my birthday, you can come too if you'd like, Rachel," Sofia said with a smile.

"I'd love to! It'll be an honor, Princes!" Rachel smiled, "we'll both come," she said, looking at Cedric.

"That's great! I'll see you later, Cedric. Amber's probably looking for me," Sofia waved goodbye and left.

Rachel turned to Cedric and smiled.

"What?" Cedric said, still blushing.

"Well since you're attending the party as a guest, you need some new clothes,"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Cedric looked down at his clothes.

"Nothing! Although I did overhear Princess Amber say something about an ugly dress being like Cedric's robes..." Rachel smiled teasingly, "but that's not the point," she clasped her hands, "you need something _special_ for this occasion... You _do_ want her to notice you, _right_?" She nudged him.

Cedric blushed even darker.

"Anyway I also heard that it's going to be bird-themed. Isn't that great?!" Rachel smiled.

"Bird-themed?! Now how are we going to find clothing that fits that?!"

"I know just the person to ask... Ooh! And I know just the design for you! It'll be perfect! Come on! We'll start now!" Rachel pulled Cedric along.

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><p>"What is this place?" Cedric said as they arrived in front of a shop in the village. It wasn't big, and it was quite closed off from the outside. The sign was so dusty he couldn't read anything.<p>

"Oh you'll see, come on," Rachel opened the door and pulled him inside.

The inside was dark, it seemed like it was abandoned. "Mr. Khakura!" Rachel called out, and a door in the back of the room opened.

"Rachel? Is that you? Why I haven't seen you in years!" It was a short old man with round spectacles, "what can I do for you?"

"I need few supplies to make some... Clothing for my cousin and I..." Rachel searched her pockets for something, "I was hoping to recreate an old idea I had..." She found a scrap of parchment in her pocket and showed it to Mr. Khakura.

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><p>Later that day Princess Amber was busy fussing over her sister's dress for the party, "why did you have to make it bird-themed?" Amber said. They were in Sofia's room.<p>

"Because I like birds, and 18 is a pretty good number... I'd like to make it special," Sofia said happily.

"But the dress Sofia! What should I wear? Or more importantly, what should _you_ wear?" Amber panicked.

"Calm down, Amber. I have a few designs, and maybe we can call the royal tailor for it," Sofia said calmly as she went to her desk and opened the drawer, she took out a few sheets of parchment with drawings on it. Amber followed her sister and looked over her shoulder at the drawings.

"Wow, these are actually really pretty, Sofia," Amber said half in surprise.

"Well I just hope the royal tailor can make it... It _is_ a bit complicated..." Sofia said in worry.

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><p>"Why can't I look at what you've bought?!" Cedric protested as they entered his workshop.<p>

"Because it's a surprise!" Rachel said, she was carrying the materials she bought from the shop in a black sack, charmed to fit all of that stuff in.

"What if I don't _agree_ to wear what you're going to make?" Cedric protested again.

"Oh trust me, it'll look good on you. I promise," Rachel said with a convincing smile, "now if you would just leave me alone to work on it,"

"It's _my_ workshop and you're kicking _me_ out?" Cedric crossed his arms.

"Yes," she smiled teasingly, Cedric glared at her, "okay, fine. I'll find another room. I'm sure this castle has lots of unoccupied rooms," she disappeared with the sack.

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><p>"I'm sorry, Princess. I can't make this, it's far too complicated! Even for me," the Royal Tailor said.<p>

"Oh, that's okay, Madame. I'll figure something else out..." Sofia said in disappointment, the tailor excused herself and left.

"Now what are we going to do? I was _so_ looking forward to wear that sparkling gold Taveta Weaver dress..." Amber said dramatically, "and you would've looked good in this one! What ever bird that is..." She pointed at one of the drawings.

Sofia sighed and plopped on the bed.

Suddenly someone knocked on her bedroom door, "Princess? I bumped into a certain someone that told me you had a problem with your birthday dress," Came Rachel's voice.

Sofia beamed up and opened the door, "can you help us, Rachel?" She asked with hope.

"Can I take a look at the designs?" Rachel said as she was allowed inside. Sofia gave her the drawings and Rachel looked at each of the designs. The first one was probably for Princess Amber she guessed, as it was golden with a trim that fits her. The second one was for Prince James, it matched the first one very well. The next was for the king and queen, the king's was based on the Hyacinth Macaw, and the queen's based on the Galah, both species of parrots, the Hyacinth Macaw being blue and the Galah pink. She even designed a simple coat for Baileywick. The next one... _Oh my_, Rachel thought with an excited smile on her face. She started laughing and that laugh eventually turned into cackling.

The two princesses stared at her confused, "she's crazy," Amber whispered to her sister.

"Oh I'm sorry..." She was still laughing a bit, "it's not ugly, I swear... There's just _something_... Anyway, I can help you,"

Sofia and Amber's eyes beamed, "You can?"

"Yes, I can. Everything will be set with a little magic!" She said cheerfully.

"Can you finish them in five days?" Amber said.

"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting to work on it," Rachel said still smiling.

"Great!" Sofia beamed.

Rachel went out and down the hall. She was _certainly_ going to have fun with the designs.

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><p><strong>I'm sorry there's not much fluff in this one. I tried to get myself in a cheerful and fluffy mood but... failed. I hope that was cheerful enough for you all... ((it's kind of a filler...))<strong>

**Also sorry for any mistakes! First I was a bit too happy when I wrote this because I got many positive feedback :), second I remind you I'm using proxy. My country banned FFN, I dunno why.**

**oh yeah, I might make some artwork for this... if I'm not too lazy... ehe. **

**Thanks for reading! Review? :3**

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	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry for this "late" update (my other fanfics: LATE? HAHAHAHAHA) ahah. The other day I was trying to sketch the clothing designs for this... it turned out like crap but maybe I'll post it on my tumblr (my-hand-just-did-it). You're more than welcome to follow me :). And yesterday I went on an unexpected journey to a theme park... **

**Also I've been comtemplating my own relationship, and well it kinda makes me a little depressed... but writing this fanfic makes me happy! And I don't think my relationship with this fandom is just a **_**fling. **_**–what an odd way to put it, Rach.**

**Anyway, I'm sorry if this is a bit cheesy (maybe it's not idk it's just my feeling) I never had the talent for romance... ahahaha. **

**Also I thank That ManX,** **RatillaFresa, Guest, zombie guts, Guest,** **ShadowenHunter, WafflesRtheBest, Everlarkmakorraforever, and Luiz4200 for the review, follow, and favorite!  
>As for That ManX, you'll know if Rachel is older or younger in the next chapter. She wouldn't appear much here. :)<strong>

**Sorry for long rant, ENJOY!**

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><p>"Ow! What-" Cedric said as he fell off the bed. He didn't roll off, no. Somebody pushed him, and he has a good guess who... "Rachel?!" Cedric scolded as he saw his cousin lying on the bed, face buried in the pillow. Rachel just groaned tiredly in response. "Have you just returned?! I bet it's past midnight already."<p>

"It is," Rachel's tried voice was muffled by the pillow.

"What have you been doing?!" Cedric tried to push her, but she didn't budge.

"I was working on the _thing_," Rachel said tiredly, she turned around to face Cedric, "I need a solid bed to sleep on right now... Just for a little while... By the way you should think of a gift for the birthday princess," she smiled. Cedric saw that she looked very tired, she had always had dark circles under her eyes, but now they were even darker. "You look horrible," Cedric commented.

"As if I didn't know already," Rachel said.

"Fine, take the bed, I'll sleep in the chair. You owe me for this," Cedric said, walking towards the door.

"I'll be paying you back pretty soon," Rachel replied as she snuggled in.

Cedric went out to his workshop and sat on his chair, he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't. So he decided to think, "a _gift_, huh? What could I possibly get her?" He said to himself. "Any suggestions, Wormy?" He said absentmindedly to his raven. But there was no reply.

"Wormy?" He looked up to the raven's perch to find that he wasn't there. _Where could that bird possibly gone off to?_ He thought, _come to think of it, he __**has **__been quiet these last few days..._

He decided to search for the raven but he looked down at his clothes. He was still wearing his pajamas. _No one could be awake at this hour, right?_ He exited his workshop.

Cedric walked down the dark halls in search of Wormwood, it was a bit hard to see_. I should've brought a lantern or my wand..._ Cedric thought. He reached the exit to the gardens and looked around.

The moon was shining bright, and there were many stars in the sky. The night was quite beautiful.

But Cedric didn't take note, he proceeded to walk to the gardens. He searched the places he knew Wormwood quite liked, but there was no sign of him. Finally he reached a pond. It wasn't big, but it was quite beautiful. The pond's clear water reflected the night sky, and it was surrounded by a few shady trees.

Cedric looked around and saw a figure standing by the pond. _Please don't be a ghost_, Cedric thought. He was never really fond of ghosts. The sorcerer decided to approach the figure so he could see more clearly.

"Sofia?" Cedric said in surprise.

"Cedric?" Sofia replied with equal surprise.

"What are you doing here this late at night?"

"Oh... I couldn't sleep..." Sofia said quietly.

Cedric looked down to see that she was only wearing her nightgown and a cloak. The sorcerer blushed and immediately looked back up, hoping the princess wouldn't notice him blushing in the dark.

"What are _you_ doing here, Cedric?" Sofia's gaze trailed down to his chest. A few buttons of his pajama shirt were unbuttoned, revealing his collarbone and a bit of his chest. Sofia blushed and looked away.

"I uh, I'm looking for Wormy," Cedric said nervously.

"I haven't seen him..." Sofia hugged herself, soft wind blew, making her shiver, "but I know where we could look for him," Sofia pulled Cedric's hand. She led him to a big tree with a treehouse on top. "Come on! We can see everything from up there," Sofia started climbing up the tree. Cedric eventually followed hesitantly. At the top he saw Sofia on the balcon, looking outside. He went beside her and leaned on the railing.

It was true, they could see everything up there. The castle, the gardens, and even the pond from before. The whole situation was actually... _romantic_.

The sorcerer tried to focus on searching for his raven, but ultimately failed when he looked at her. She looked so... _enchanting _under the moon light, her eyes sparkled and her skin was pratically shining. Sofia looked at him in confusion, and Cedric blushed. Their eyes locked and they were both trapped in a trance.

That trance was interuppted by a loud caw, and right after a raven flew to them. It was Wormwood. He crashed into the tree house.

"Wormy? Are you alright?" Cedric approached the raven. Wormwood stood and cawed like he was in panic. "the last time I saw him like this was when... oh," Cedric said in realization, he turned around to prove his suspicion. And there it was. A black shadow, stading on the balcony.

"what's that?" Sofia ran behind Cedric. She wasn't scared... but just incase.

"Rachel's pet dragon," Cedric said in a bored tone. The shadow stepped forward and Sofia could see that it was indeed a dragon. It had a long neck, black scales, and white eyes. "Caligo, stop chasing Wormy. You almost ate him last time," Cedric scolded the dragon. Caligo the dragon only quirked his head to the side, feeling no guilt at all. Cedric sighed and rolled his eyes, "come on, Wormy. You'll be safe in the workshop," Cedric looked at Caligo, "as in for you, I'm putting you on a leash," the dragon slunk down.

Cedric exited the tree house with Sofia, the walked past the pond. Caligo stopped and looked at he water. "come on, Caligo," Sofia called the dragon. But he didn't move. Cedric approached him, Caligo went to fly away, but his tail hit Cedric and pushed him in the water.

SPLASH!

Cedric landed in the cold water, "Merlin's Mushrooms," he whined. Caligo only gave a guilty smile and flew off into the shadows. "blasted dragon!" Cedric cursed.

"Cedric, are you okay?" Sofia helped him out of the water.

"I'm fine... just a bit cold," he shivered and hugged himself. _So much for paying me back soon, Rachel._

"you need to dry off and change into some dry clothes," Sofia pulled him along. It was a bit of a habit she had.

They arrived at his workshop and he immediately went in his room to change. After awhile, Cedric emerged from his room in nice warm clothes. Sofia smiled, "still cold, Cedric?"

"a bit," the corcerer replied. Suddenly he felt warm, something was hugging him. No, _someone_ was hugging him. _Sofia _was hugging him. Cedric blushed in surprise, but eventually he returned the hug.

"well, I'll best be getting back now..." Sofia pulled away, "Good night, Ceedric," she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. And with that she was gone.

Cedric was left shocked, all of the misfortune of the night forgotten. He sat in his chair and stared at the parchment and quill on his table.

He was suddenly inspired.

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><p><strong>Again, sorry for the late update!<strong>

**And sorry if this one is weird. My stories tend to get weirder and weirder each chapter... but oh well! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And as you can probably see, Cawoli from tumblr has granted permission for me to use the drawing as cover picture! Yay. Check out Cawoli's blog! It's full of Cedfia drawings :3**

**review?**

**4th Chapter coming out soon ;) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi hello! **

**First off I thank WafflesRtheBest, ThatManX, Alithewitch, FaithTrustLove, and Katzelicht for the review, follow, and favorite!**

**Although I only got two reviews in the last chapter, I'm still eager to finish this story. Maybe finish my other ones as well... (I'll try)**

**But you see, school started and I already have a lot of shit going on. *sigh* (pardon my cursing) so I guess I won't be updating as soon as I usually do. Or there is a possibility I'm actually going to update sooner. Because school is poo and I'm a lazy student. Ahahah :D**

**Here, to make up for my weirdness, I present to you a decent **(to me that is)** and long chapter. I really hope you like it! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Cedric, what's this?"<p>

The sorcerer was startled out of his sleep. He opened his eyes to see that his cousin was holding a few sheets of parchment, inspecting it closely. Cedric had fallen asleep in his chair last night.

"No- it's nothing!" Cedric swiped the parchment from Rachel's hands and hid it behind his back.

Rachel glanced at his desk, there was a musical instrument sitting on it. The violin. "You wrote a song?!" Rachel said with excitement.

"No! This is an old song," Cedric refused to look into her eyes.

"Oh come on, Dricky. That's fresh ink on there," Rachel tried to swipe the parchment back from him, suddenly she stopped and gasp in excitement and realization, "is that for the princess?!"

Cedric immediately blushed, "No!" He answered too quickly.

"I'm taking that as a yes, Drick!" Rachel poked him, suddenly she had an epiphany, "you can play that song for her birthday! Oh it'll be a great present! I'll set up the stage, special effects and all the fancy stuff... Also it's pretty inconspicuous, a song can mean a thousand words..." She trailed off.

"you mean in front of all those people?!" Cedric said.

"Oh come on, you did fine when we did that piece we wrote together for Sorcery School graduation," she crossed her arms, "you did magnificent even,"

"But they hated me!"

"Hey, only the stuck up and arrogant ones said so, Cedric. They were probably jealous of you," Rachel said, "even Greylock said you were great..." She pause for a moment, "Redbrick," Rachel laughed. She used to be friends with Greylock, and it would be very annoying when they teamed up to tease Cedric. Of course they weren't _too_ harsh on him, and Cedric knew they were only joking, but it was still annoying.

"But these people are royal," Cedric whined.

"What's the difference? If they don't like you then _they_ have a problem,"

"They don't like me as a sorcerer to begin with," Cedric leaned back in his chair, examining the song he wrote.

"Oh come on, _Sofia_ likes you," Rachel smiled, "she seems to believe in you, no matter what you do."

Cedric gulped and sighed, "oh... alright..." He gave in, "but I'm not going to be bossed around by you, like when we did that piece,"

"Hey, I'm older than you... I basically have the right to boss you around,"

"Four months don't count," Cedric crossed his arms.

"Four months is still _oldeeeeer_," Rachel poked his nose. Cedric rubbed it and rolled his eyes. He stood up, "alright, I just hope I don't mess up," he said quietly.

"You won't. Have a little faith in yourself," she poked his chest, "now you should rehearse that song. I'll keep the sparkly princess away so the surprise won't be ruined," she opened the door, "good luck, Drick," she smiled and left.

_Hmmm... Where could that princess be- oh there she is. __H__eaded right this way... _Rachel thought, _wait- oh no. _

"Princess! Where are you off to?" Rachel said, trying not to sound too obvious.

"Off to see Cedric," Sofia smiled happily. She tried to walk past Rachel but she blocked her way.

"Cedric is a bit _busy_ at the moment... He'll be available later in the evening... I think," Rachel said.

"Oh okay..." Sofia tried not to sound disappointed, "well, since you're available, I guess I can spend time with you," Sofia smiled. She looked up the flight of stairs to Cedric's workshop. _What could he possibly be doing?  
><em>  
>Suddenly Baileywick popped up, "Princess Sofia, it's time for your afternoon tea. Would you like to have it in the garden as usual?" He said. Sofia nodded.<p>

"Would you like to join me, Rachel?" Sofia offered.

"I'd love to," Rachel said, suddenly she realized she was hungry. She woke up already late and she didn't have breakfast, nor lunch.

* * *

><p>"So, how long have you known Cedric?" Sofia said as she sipped her tea. Cheesecake was served along with some biscuits. Rachel seem to take a lot of interest in the cheesecake.<p>

"Since sorcery school, I think," Rachel ate the last bit of her cheesecake.

"What was sorcery school like?" Sofia said with interest.

"It was quite fun, I guess. Especially when I have Cedric to tease around," Rachel sniffed her tea. She always liked the smell better than the taste.

"Did Cedric have many friends?"

"No, not really. Other than me, he only had a few... _okay friends_ as I put it. And I'm relative, so... I don't really count as his close friend," Rachel sipped her tea, "Cedric was quite... _Popular_, though,"

"Popular?" Sofia was a bit surprised by this news.

"Well, first, he's the son of Goodwin the Great. So teachers expect him to live up to his father's name. -which is quite depressing, really. Considering how often he messed up..." Rachel cringed, "also... He was quite _popular_ amongst the _ladies_..." She made unnecessary emphasizes.

Sofia choked on her tea. But she tried to cover it up. _Cedric was popular among the girls?!_ The thought made an unpleasant feeling stir in her stomach.

Rachel noticed, but she pretended not to. "But of course he never minded any of them. He was too busy trying to live up to expectations... And... those girls were quite annoying... A few of them asked me to spy on Cedric -which I never did," Rachel rolled her eyes at the memory.

"Cedric never said anything about that," Sofia tried to sound calm.

"He was quite embarrassed about it... In fact I shouldn't be talking about this right now!" Rachel joked. They both laughed. "But anyway, that all stopped when his bangs started to turn gray,"

"I've always wondered why they were gray," the princess took a bite out of a biscuit.

"Well long-story-short, major potion accident that exploded on his face. His front hair was burned to crisp and when it grew back it became gray," Rachel shrugged.

Sofia giggled, she actually likes him with gray bangs. It looks cute on him.

"Why don't we take a walk, Rachel?" Sofia stood up, "I'd like to know more about Cedric's childhood- _I mean Sorcery School_," She corrected herself. Rachel just chuckled and followed.

* * *

><p>"So, what have you been doing all day?" Cedric said as Rachel floated in. He was eating in his workshop.<p>

"Oh, the princess literally spent her whole day asking me questions about you," Rachel smiled teasingly.

"What-?!" Cedric choked on his food, he coughed. Rachel laughed, finally he stopped coughing. "What did she ask?" The sorcerer's voice cracked.

"Ah, that's just between me and her, Dricky," Rachel grinned, "she'll be here after dinner, I'm gonna get dinner myself, ta-ta!" And with that she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Cedric rolled his eyes.

And, as if on cue, Sofia burst through the door. "Hi, Cedric," She tried not to sound too excited.

"Hello, Sofia. How was your day?" Cedric had finished eating.

"Oh, it was... Great," Sofia said happily, "Rachel told me many interesting stories,"

_Interesting? Did she tell Sofia the embarrassing parts too?_ Cedric thought.

"How about, you, Ceedric?" Sofia giggled.

Cedric blushed a little, "my day was quite nice, I suppose,"

"What have you been doing all day?"

"I uh- it's a secret," Cedric replied weakly, "at least for now. You'll find out soon,"

_Is it something for my birthday? Oh I better not ruin the surprise. I love surprises!_ Sofia thought happily. "Oh, alright... So I was thinking we could go star-gazing tonight? If you want," she blushed. She remembered Rachel telling her a story about how she found Cedric walking around at night when they were just starting sorcery school. She thought he was sleep-walking, but it turns out that he just loved the night. Cedric had stopped paying attention to nature since he sank himself in his work, unfortunately. And Sofia was going to remind him.

"Um, sure, I'd love to," Cedric said nervously.

* * *

><p>To his surprise, she didn't take him to the observatory. Sofia led Cedric outside the castle and past the gardens. They past the pond that Cedric fell in, and he suddenly remembered he had to get back at Rachel for it. But that can wait.<p>

He was spending time with Sofia, and that made him happy. A tingling sensation brewed in his stomach, as if it was a marvelous potion waiting to burst.

They reached a clearing that was quite far away from the castle, it was a meadow with beautiful wild flowers and it had fewer bushes and trees. Cedric had almost forgotten how beautiful nature can be, especially at night. But it was not as beautiful as the girl standing in front of him.

Sofia took off her shoes and danced around the meadow happily, feeling the grass beneath her feet.

Cedric just stared, it seems that he was trapped in a trance. The sorcerer had never seen anything so beautiful. Beauty, nature, twinkling stars, gracefulness, and happiness were combined in that moment. It made him fall in love with her more.

"Come join me, Cedric! Take off your shoes," Sofia approached him. Cedric took off his shoes and socks. Sofia gently grabbed his hands with hers and pulled him into a dance.

From afar, a figure was sitting in a tree, watching the two dance and chase each other happily. Their laughter was audible, and it made the figure smile.

"Oh, I'm such a creep," Rachel whispered to herself, "but, just to enhance the scene... I'm adding a little something they might like..." She smiled.

Sofia chased Cedric around the meadow, and she tackled him. "Got you, Ceedric!" She teased as they both fell in the thick bed of wild flowers. She was laying so close to him, she realized. But it was comfortable and he seemed to enjoy it too. They both stared at the sky, it was clear and bright to see the stars.

"It's Cedric," he smiled and smelled her hair.

Cedric started to point out some constellations he knew. But suddenly, they heard a soft fluttering noise. They sat up, looking for the source of the sound. "Look, Cedric! Peacocks!" Sofia shouted quietly in awe. There was a shimmering white peahen and a glittering black peacock quite a few feet in front of them. They reminded her of _something_...

Cedric had never seen peacocks of that color before, and started to wonder if they were actually wild in the first place. Come to think of it, a certain someone might be spying on them right now. But he decided to just enjoy the moment, the sight was exceptionally beautiful.

The princess clung onto her sorcerer excitedly, "ooh! Look it's spreading its tail!" Sofia pointed to the peacock. The peacock lifted its train feathers and started shaking them, making a soft rustling noise. "What's it doing?" Sofia said curiously.

"Oh, that's what a peacock does when it's trying to court a peahen," Cedric explained, he had read it from a book a long time ago, "but sometimes they just do it to show off,"

The peacock retracted its feathers and the peahen approached him, they both just gracefully stood there, going about their own business. Suddenly they heard soft hoof steps approach them, they turned to the source of the sound to see a pegasus. It had black fur and silver hair that was tied up into a neat ponytail at the end. Its wings were folded beautifully on its sides, it didn't look like the flying derby and coach horses, it was much too graceful for pulling carriages and racing. But it had a beautiful saddle on, brown with golden designs. It had no reigns, though. The winged horse neighed and gestured to its saddle.

"I think it wants us to ride it," Sofia said.

"Now I'm certain Rachel is spying on us," Cedric said.

"Why?" Sofia nonchalantly as she petted the horse.

"It's Sylver, her pegasus," He replied. Cedric helped her to get on the winged horse, before getting on behind her. He held on to a handle on the saddle, and Cedric snaked his arms around her waist. Sofia blushed at the touch, but found it comforting. The horse started running and took off into the sky, flapping its wings beautifully.

"How do you know it's her horse, Cedric?" Sofia said. They were flying slowly and the night was quiet, only the flapping of Sylver's wings was heard.

"Oh, she always had a knack for weird animals. She immediately had lots of horses when she moved out of her parents' house, and she always entered this one in horse beauty contests, and it would always win first prize," Cedric told her. The flying horse neighed proudly. Sofia giggled and pat Sylver's neck.

The horse flew them around the kingdom, and they saw many amazing sights. Sofia looked up at Cedric to see that he was actually enjoying himself.

Cedric looked down at the princess to find her staring at him. He smiled and blushed, Sofia smiled too. She reached up and pecked him on the cheek, she leaned back and Cedric held her in an embrace as the horse flew them back to the meadow.

They got off the horse and Sofia thanked Sylver. The sorcerer and the princess walked back to the castle silently. Slipping in, they bid their goodbyes and returned to their quarters.

Cedric opened his workshop door to find Rachel floating in her pajamas, holding a pillow. She was smiling at him, "so, how was your night?"

Cedric thought for a moment then smiled, "it was certainly one to remember," he went in his room, still smiling.

* * *

><p><strong>Ah! There. Was it nice? Tell me! Review or something, or else I wouldn't know... :3 <strong>

**Sorry for any typos or grammar errors and such...**

**I think this chapter is a bit **_**too**_** beautiful for the 4th. I'd have to make the birthday chapter even more beautiful... I hope I can.**

**And anyway, I know having Cedric be a violinist is actually kind of common. But as a violin fan and player myself, I think Cedric actually suits being a violinist (unlike me, haha). **

**ALSO I gave you a hint there. Of what? Oh we'll just see. *evil laughs* **

**And another note: I think my internet is starting to **_**reject**_** the proxy. *gasp* next chapter might take awhile... *sobs* I hope I can update soon****... and _still _be able to access fanfiction...**


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